NATO's Arctic artillery forces are learning to dig, hide, and move to dodge drones

"For years, mobility was artillery's best defense. Now, against persistent aerial surveillance and cheap loitering munitions, crews are relearning when to shoot and scoot and when to dig in and disappear. Drones - and their overwhelming presence above the battlefield in Ukraine - are forcing NATO artillery soldiers to reckon with their own vulnerabilities."

"With surveillance and strike drones "being more of a thing now than ever before, we have started to put even more emphasis on camouflage," Maj. Kay-Arne Schjetne, a Norwegian artillery battalion operations officer, told Business Insider at a firing range in Setermoen in late February."

NATO artillery forces training in the Arctic are fundamentally rethinking defensive tactics in response to lessons from Ukraine's conflict. Drones and loitering munitions have made constant aerial surveillance a battlefield reality, forcing soldiers to reconsider when to move versus when to hide and dig in. Traditional artillery doctrine emphasized mobility as the primary defense, but persistent drone surveillance makes movement increasingly dangerous. Norwegian, British, and US forces participating in Cold Response 26 exercises are emphasizing camouflage and concealment techniques alongside mobility. Arctic security has become a NATO priority, with increased investment and expanded exercises reflecting concerns about Russian and Chinese activity in the region.

Read at Business Insider